I think the trolls that existed here were repubs supported by Limbaugh, et al to support Hillary and denigrate Obama.

They found a susceptible group of Hillary lunatics here and also got energized by Joan Walsh's pro-Hillary rhetoric.

I recall mostly the proud texas gal who was repulsively nasty and who was egged on, and cheered on by the Hillary lunatics.

In my my mind I found it incredible that voters voted for W in 2000 and 2004. Yet I know many many affluent people who are just innately republican and they couldn't accept the ineptness and cruelty of his administration, which was so obvious to me.

And I knew quite a few average working "joes" who really feared that the democrats would "give the store away" to teen-age mothers on welfare. I never got the feeling that the war was important to either group.

This time around I think "racism" will be a hugely important factor. I experience it on an almost daily basis. It appears innate, again! There doesn't appear to be any other rational explanation. It is visceral.

It wouldn't surprise me in the least if Obama loses the election. Despite their latest gaffes Fox News is still immensely popular. Fear might just prevail.

IMHO, McCain has a lock on the following:

1. Racists (by far the most significant factor)

2. Neocons (AIPAC, Hawks, et al) Bomb, bomb Iran! (Protectors of Israel who want the USA as a permanent presence in the Middle East)

3. Isolationists (the UN is screwing the USA)

4. Corporations (and all that they influence; like the MSM, free-marketeers, deregulation of markets)

5. Military Industrial Corporations who benefit from wars

6. HRC supporters (truly embittered)

7. Low-information voters (with a lot of #1)

8. The wealthy 1% and the people they influence (Larry Kudlow and his ilk)

9. Evangelical Fundamentalists (anti-abortionists)

10. Hardcore Republicans (the 28% who think Bush is doing just fine)

11.Geroge Bush, Dick Cheney and the administation's staff people and the political appointees.

I would love to see Obama open up a double-digit lead over McCain after the Democratic convention. But I don't believe it is going to happen.

I am also hugely disappointed in Obama's tack toward the center re FISA and faith-based initiatives.

But consider the last eight years where the USA has had its constitution attacked and devastated. This country has killed over one million Iraqis under the pretense of W.M.D.s. It has instituted a system for torturing human beings, 90% of them presumed to be innocent. It has allowed the financial institutions to run amok and will bail them out, by some estimates to the tune of one trillion dollars.

I have to vote for Obama. I am not an insane lunatic feminist who is distraught by Hillary's defeat and will retaliate by voting for McCain. I regret that I didn't vote for Kerry because I felt it was repugnant for a "true" war hero to stand by and watch his fine record be turned into an embarrassment.

Obama is the only hope I can see for the country, but he is an Afro-American and I don't think the majority of voters can handle that fact. 2008 will be very similar to 2000 and 2004.

I know it has been a while but when Brenner was running the show over in Iraq the USA shipped, via cargo planes, 67 tons of $100 bills to establish a "cash economy."

Brenner in testimony before Congress admitted that there wasn't any accounting system so no one really knows where the money went. I can guess where it went but it's so ridiculous I won't repeat it. Anyway, Brenner said it was a necessary step for Iraq.

That 12.8 billion dollars is a trifling compared to the bailout of the financial institutions but I was stunned by it at the time.

"If teh local DNC's dont stop treating former Edwards or Clinton supporters like the enemy (I called to volunteer!!) we may become that!"

I have some thoughts relative to the above statement. I think the former Edwards supporters will vote for Obama. Considering HRC's 17 million supporters, I believe that 16.8 million of them are racists and voted against Obama and not for HRC. Therefore they will vote for McCain, not that they are voting for him because of his policies, but because he is white.

The .2 million lunatic feminists will also vote for McCain and should be written off.

"There aren't 200,000 lunatic feminists in the US. Maybe 200, and they're not taken seriously unless armed."

I guess I came up with the 200,000 because of exposure to Joan Walsh's articles and the associated postings related to feminism. I keep reading the posts about how Obama is an "empty suit," and unproven and so on and so on. The motif of the feminist postings shows an anger with Obama that appears to be very sincere and a carry-over from the primary campaign. They seem to be adamant in their goal to vote for anyone but Obama. Then there is that group of women who want to put HRC's name up for a vote at the convention and the Hillraisers not contributing to Obama.

Hillary and Bill don't seem to want to campaign for Obama.

Then there are websites dedicated to maintaining HRC's prominence as a candidate for president in 2008. And, IMHO she doesn't discourage their efforts.

Maybe 200,000 is high and exceeded a reasonable attempt at hyperbole but 200 is not realistic either.

Karl Rove is now running the McCain campaign. He was successful in 2000 and 2004 using slime and obviously McCain's people feel they have no choice but to do what he says.

I couldn't believe the American voters could possibly believe the garbage that Rove was dishing in 2004 but they surely did. I don't think there is any reason to believe that will change this year. HRC's 17 million racists aren't going to vote for Obama. I hope they just stay home.

The NY Times and Washington Post came out with criticisms of the McCain campaign this morning and I don't recall anything like that happening in 2004.

Maybe, just maybe things are a'changing but I wouldn't count on it.